January 17, 2003	Friday	Ziqa'ad 13, 1423

LONDON, Jan 16: The Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka remain the world’s most expensive to live in, a new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit reported on Thursday.

The Norwegian capital of Oslo jumped into third place, with Hong Kong stepping down a notch to fourth, the EIU said.

London, which made seventh place on the list, remained the most expensive city within the European Union in which to live, while New York — down one place to eleventh — was the most expensive US location.

Among other leading Asian cities, Singapore came in 12th, while Seoul rose eight places to 13th, thanks largely to a strengthening currency.

The survey found the economic crisis gripping Zimbabwe had left Harare as the cheapest city, of those surveyed, in which to live.

Agrentinian capital Buenos Aires, which has also been mired in economic gloom, was the biggest decliner — falling 109 places to 130, the EIU said.

The survey compared prices and products in 134 cities around the world.—AFP